Doc, did you read UFC bantamweight Nick Denis retiring in part because of the risk of brain injuries? What do you think? – Adam Martin (@mmadammartin)

What an interesting real-life story from an equally interesting person, Nick Denis.

Denis made the difficult decision to walk away from the sport he loves and is quite proficient at just as he was making significant headway on MMA’s grandest stage, the UFC. How many people can or would walk away from their dreams as they are materializing? Very, very few is my guess.

Who could walk away from a Major League Baseball team just after hitting a home run or telling the coach of Real Madrid, “Thanks but no thanks. Running around on the pitch in front of millions of adoring fans isn’t in my best interest any longer.”

Denis wasn’t asked to leave. He made a choice between continuing a labor of love in the UFC and choosing a different path at the ripe old age of 29 – one potentially far less likely to cause significant brain injury.

Denis defies the “dumb jock” stereotype. He relinquished a scholarship at Ottawa University as a Ph.D candidate in something as mundane and simplistic as biochemistry. The mere thought of biochemistry in medical school makes me lose sleep. Denis noticed differences in himself after a brutal KO (major concussion) at the hands of the heavy-handed Marlon Sandro a few years ago. The scientist in doctoral candidate Denis compelled him to do some research that ultimately factored into his decision to retire from MMA.

I can go on and on about the potential perils of concussions; the ill effects of all of the thousands of meaningless, routine training and sparring head knocks (sub-concussive blows); and minimal traumatic brain injury (mTBI) with its depression, early dementia, mood changes, family breakdown and suicide attempts and ultimately chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) leading to severe neurodegenerative diseases such as ALS and Alzheimer’s then death. But who wants to hear it? Fans want fights, and fighters want to win and get paid.

Many fans will dismiss the information and state “no one has ever died from MMA” (which by the way is also not true) or quip “when is the last time you heard of someone getting brain trauma from MMA” (please wish Eddie Yagin well). True, most of our knowledge about sports-related brain injury is derived from other contact sports, mostly the NFL.

However, research is revealing that regardless if one sustains his blows to the brain in the trenches of football at any level – or skating on the ice chasing a puck, fighting with four-ounce or 10-ounce gloves, playing a “non-contact” sport without a helmet as in girls’ lacrosse, or heroically due to an IED explosion on a battlefield in some distant land – the resultant brain injuries share many similarities.

Thankfully, Denis has a background that allows him to systematically filter out the noise, do the research and then make a well-informed decision that is right for him and his family. I respect Denis and applaud his decision. I wish him nothing but happiness and good health.

Personally I am encouraged that the messages of concussion and sports-related brain injury awareness are starting to resonate with elite athletes and the general public alike. Safer and healthier sports are a good thing for all concerned!

I am fully aware that many people will read this article and scream and shout that Dr. Benjamin (many will refer to me much worse) is trying to destroy MMA. To them I say: Enjoy the remainder of your day and peace be with you.

Adam, thanks for the link to Nick Denis’ blog (“Ninja of Love” – how cool is that?) so I could read his thoughts firsthand. (And for those of you unfamiliar with Adam Martin, he is one of the many fine young journalists that MMA has provided a platform. This dude eats, drinks and dreams MMA. If you don’t believe me just follow him on Twitter @mmadammartin)

* * * *

Dr. Johnny Benjamin is MMAjunkie.com’s medical columnist and consultant and a noted combat-sports specialist. He is also a member of the Association of Boxing Commissions’ MMA Medical Subcommittee. Dr. Benjamin writes an “Ask the Doc” column approximately every two weeks for MMAjunkie.com. To submit a question for a future column, email him at askthedoc [AT] mmajunkie.com, or share your questions and thoughts in the comments section below. You can find Dr. Benjamin online at www.drjohnnybenjamin.com, and you can read his other sports-related articles at blog.drjohnnybenjamin.com.

The Latest

The man known for cranking submissions to the point of injury added eye-gouging to his repertoire. But is the controversy of Rousimar Palhares too essential to his bizarre, awful appeal for his employers to take any meaningful action against him?

Ronda Rousey’s statistical greatness has already ventured into uncharted territory – just six fights into her UFC career. Check out all the post-fight facts, including Rousey’s latest achievements, about UFC 190.